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U.S. Customs and Border Protection crashed a drone off the San Diego coast late Monday night while patrolling international waters for drug and human smuggling activity. NBC 7's Liberty Zabala has new details and more on how agents are using of drones for border security. (Published Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014)

Updated at 11:29 PM EDT on Tuesday, Jan 28, 2014

Federal officials deliberately crashed a malfunctioning drone into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego overnight.

The drone belongs to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which has now grounded its entire fleet of 10 drones as a precaution.

According to customs officials, the crew operating the drone from Texas noticed a mechanical failure and had little time to take action. They decided the safest move was to crash it into the ocean.

Friel said the cause of the mechanical failure is unknown.

Drone Damages Ship, Injures Sailors

At Naval Base San Diego investigators will be trying to determine what went wrong when a drone crashed into USS Chancellorsville off the coast of Southern California over the weekend. NBC 7's Chris Chan reports. (Published Monday, Nov 18, 2013)

Crews are working to recover the $12 million drone. Tuesday afternoon, some of the parts had already been loaded onto a truck at Coast Guard Station San Diego.

These drones are equipped with radar to help officers spot panga boats and semi-submersible vessels used by drug cartels.

"The aircraft can be used to monitor that vessel while other units are dispatched to intercept that vessel," Friel said in an interview with NBC 7 San Diego. "That aircraft can keep eyes on and help individuals who are tasked with intercepting that vessel to know what they're facing."

The Coast Guard report was filed at 11:20 p.m Monday, according to a spokesperson.

Military Drones Cut Manpower Costs

Unmanned vehicles like the "Predator" drone have become widely used in the military over the past ten years. (Published Thursday, Nov 10, 2011)

The U.S. has been using Predator B unmanned aircraft along the coast of California since 2006 to intercept potential terrorists and illegal border activity. They can fly for 20 hours and as high as 50,000 feet. This is the first time a drone has gone down since the unmanned aircraft program started, according to customs officials.